John Graham's shop in Drumcondra on the northside of Dublin closed two weeks ago. He had been in business for 22 years on a premises that housed the famous Youkstetter's butchers before him. On the street where he traded, there had been a bakery, a chemist and a post office.

All are gone now.

To the left of Graham's butcher shop there is now a Ladbrokes.

On the right, Domino's Pizza.

Up the road, there is a Spar shop. The only unrecognisable brand on the stretch is an outfit called Global Property Investments, which doesn't require much branding.

Graham blames his business's demise on a combination of factors, including the difficulties in parking and the propensity of people to do an all-in-one visit to supermarkets and large shopping complexes. His story is not unique.

At the far side of the country, Shanley's drapers shut up shop last week after 150 years trading in the town of Westport. Peter Shanley said the business could no longer compete with the multiples. He told one reporter that his drapery business was the latest victim of "chequebook colonialism". The premises was recently sold to a developer, who, no doubt harbours dreams of apartments piled upon apartments in downtown Westport.

Small business being gobbled up by big operators is the stuff of the free market, of which this country is a shining example. But the two above casualties illustrate elements of exactly where we are at.

Going forward, naturally.

Like the Californian Gold Rush of the 19th century, more and more business are ceasing in pursuit of the fast buck, the ticket to ride, the knock on the door from a developer. For Californian gold, read Irish concrete. So it has gone with hotels, shops, supermarkets.

All manner of businesses have now closed down because the price of the property on which they are located offers far better returns than any going concern.

Even pubs, for long a licence to print money if anyway properly run at all, are being shut up and flogged off in order to get more buck for their bang.

The economy's future has been mortgaged on the construction industry. Now interest rates are creeping up, and the level of building is beginning to flatten out. Let's be careful out there and hopefully the whole edifice won't come crumbling down around our ears.

One consequence of this is the increased political power developers now enjoy. What will this mean for planning? The shambles that is planning in the Dublin region and beyond can be traced back to the manner in which public representatives allowed themselves to be led by developers, through means fair and foul, to plan for the future.

Bad and all as that might have been, what hope now that they hold a tighter grip on the economy?

The demise of the family business has also thrust us further into the world of streamlined consumerism. In the absence of individual, independent retailers, the multiples move in for the kill. We are no longer customers, but consumers. Service is now based on public relations rather than personal touch. We no longer purchase products, but brands.

Whether it is the popularity of designer gear, from Louis Vuitton handbags to Nike shell suits, or the growing prevalence of supermarkets' ownname brands, we are being shunted into a sidetrack of conformity by big business.

Explore the newest shopping catherdrals, like Dundrum, and you will look long and hard to find any outlet that isn't connected to global branding. Walk through any of the main shopping streets in the cities across the state, and you will find a similar situation.

For those looking for an individual touch, there are fewer and fewer places left to turn.

Ironic that at a time when the cult of the individual is at a premium, when we are told that we have choice like never before, we are, in terms of consumption, little more than sheep being led off to be branded. Going forward, naturally.